Demented Particulars offers a detailed annotation of Samuel Beckett's first published novel, Murphy. The book includes an extensive Introduction, which outlines the compositional and publishing history of the novel, the critical debate, an account of Beckett's reading that went into the book, and a sophisticated discussion of the 'Cartesian catastrophe' at the heart of this comic cosmos. There is also an extensive bibliography of works pertinent to Murphy, and a thematic Index. The main thrust of the book concerns the page by page annotations of the novel itself, with close reference to the range of Beckett's reading (literary, philosophical, theological, biographical and other) that went into the making of this encyclopedic work. The importance of the study lies not simply in the discovery of many new facts, but equally in the assessment of how these laid the foundations for so much of Beckett's later work. The book pays tribute to the astounding range of Beckett's reading in the 1930s, and in so doing documents with precision the extent to which Beckett's later writings, and his dramatic pieces in particular, arise out of the matrix of the earlier works.
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Special Offer until June 30, 2013: Receive an additional £5 promotional Gift Certificate, when you trade-in at least £10 worth of books. Learn more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
About the Author
Chris Ackerley is Professor and former Head of English at Otago University, New Zealand. His publications include extensive commentaries on Samuel Beckett and Malcolm Lowry. His speciality is annotation, and he is (with S.E. Gontarski) author of the Grove Press (2004) and Faber (2006) Companion to Samuel Beckett. He has recently edited Watt for Faber. He is writing a monograph on Beckett and Science and annotating several works by Lowry.
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.co.uk.
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars
2 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must for any serious Beckett reader!
1 Feb 2011
By Todd Alcott
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
As far as Beckett scholars go, CJ Ackerley is one of the most qualified. As an added bonus, he is also one of the most readable. A reader like me, who loves Beckett but isn't an academic, a book like this is invaluable. It's completely readable, and opens up Beckett's Murphy in a completely new way. A milestone in Beckett studies.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Useful resource
14 Sep 2011
By John E Wells
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Twenty years after reading Murphy for my first time, I decided to teach it this fall. Ackerley's exhaustive coverage of every page of Beckett's novel provided an invaluable resource for me to check references and provide context for class discussion. A student of mine said he was reading Beckett's novel while sitting in front of the computer so he could check references there; I read it with Ackerley's book in front of me.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
